Wilmette Engineering Wilmette EngineeringThe average resident uses about 44,000 gallons per year. This is slightly less than the US average of 52,500 per year, but more than Canada (40,300), Poland (15,700), China (7,300) or India (3,900) on a per capita basis.
The Wilmette annual water quality report, available on this website, contains a lot of information and data about our water quality. The short answer is that of the more than 120 contaminants tested for in this past year, all were within the EPA’s water quality standards. To find this report, select Departments from the top menu, then Water Plant.
Not necessarily. Studies have shown that microbes may grow in the bottles while on the grocers’ shelves. Residents do not need to buy bottled water for safety reasons if your tap water meets all federal and state drinking water standards ( Wilmette ’s does!). Those who prefer water with a different taste, can buy bottled water, but it costs up to 1,000 times more than tap water. Of course, in emergencies, bottled water can be a vital source of drinking water for people without water.
Yes. Many tests have shown that the amount of chlorine found in treated water is safe to drink, although some people object to the taste. The USEPA recently established a maximum allowable level of residual disinfectants. This residual is added to the water as it enters the distribution system to protect against germs.
During the summer months, residents may notice a slight musty or earthy taste & odor in the water. The chemicals that cause this are naturally occurring but harmless in the concentrations found in Wilmette ’s drinking water. The Village adds activated carbon to the water to help remove these odors. Keeping an open container of water in the refrigerator allows the odors to dissipate and improves the taste of the water. If you have additional questions about taste & odor, call the Water Plant at 847-853-7535.
Wilmette ’s water is considered moderately hard. It contains about 140-ppm hardness (8 grains/gallon) as calcium carbonate. Most of the hardness is calcium and magnesium, but there are traces of barium and iron. This level of hardness does not generally require a water softener for laundry washing or bathing, but it may be necessary to switch to distilled water (or add decalcification chemicals to the tap water) for some of your appliances. Check with the appliance manufacturer and use what they recommend. You should also use distilled water when adding water to your car’s radiator.
There is no measurable lead in Lake Michigan water and no lead pipes are used at the water plant or in the distribution system. The only source of lead found in our dinking water comes from lead pipes and lead soldered joints in the homeowner’s plumbing. About 60% of Wilmette homes have lead service lines. The Village feeds a small amount of phosphate to the treated water to help coat these lead pipes. The coating reduces the lead leaching into the drinking water to levels below the USEPA limits. If you have questions about lead in drinking water, call the Water Plant Lab at 847-853-7532.
During the winter months, when the water temperature drops below 40 degrees F, the water leaving the Water Plant is saturated with dissolved oxygen. When you turn on your tap to fill a glass, some of this oxygen begins to bubble up to the surface. To check to see if this is the source of your cloudy water, just draw a glass and let it sit five minutes. If the cloudiness goes away, it was the entrapped oxygen; if it doesn’t, you may have a water quality problem and you may want to call the Water Plant Lab at 847-853-7532.
When disturbances occur in the water distribution pipes in the street – or the house plumbing –small particle are often dislodged from the interior of the pipes. Examples of disturbances include installing a new water main or repairing an old one, flushing fire hydrants or even repairing plumbing in your own house. Frequently this dislodged material obstructs the faucet aerators, causing an apparent loss of pressure. Removing and cleaning the aerators can often solve the problem.
If you remove the aerator, the substance causing the clogging can also often tell the source of the problem:
Rust colored material – corroded iron probably dislodged from the distribution piping;
White material, hard but crumbly – most likely calcium carbonate from your hot water heater. Flush your hot water heater once per year to minimize this problem;
White material, solid not fragile – most likely a plastic material that was typically used as a dip tube to control filling of hot water heaters until recently. If you find this material, contact your hot water heater manufacturer. The dip tube is defective and should be replaced.
White material, soft and powdery – probably some of the phosphate material that coats the distribution piping;
If you have questions about any of these materials you may find, feel free to contact the Water Plant Lab at 847-853-7532. If cleaning aerators doesn’t solve the low-pressure problem, call the Meter Shop at 847-853-7537.
Generally the answer is no. The smallest water meter the Village has, the 5/8-inch meter, is capable of 20-25 gallons per minute flow. The average household plumbing system, however, is only capable of delivering about 10 gallons per minute, even with multiple fixtures running. The restrictions in flow are generally due to the homeowner’s interior plumbing – especially if it’s made from galvanized pipe. If you need assistance, the Meter Repair Technicians can test your water pressure and tell you what size meter is best for your application. They can be reached at 847-853-7537.
The Village has no control over the locks at the Wilmette harbor. These devices are controlled by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC). They are opened by MWRDGC staff only under storm conditions when the river reaches a predefined level and then closed again when the level recedes. In recent years, with the construction of the Deep Tunnel, the locks have rarely been opened.